Cactus Village Community

Let’s Help Kids Stay Out of Trouble By CAO Karen Freund

Jul 17, 2003

Summer is almost here, a time for temperatures to start rising (did they ever go down?) and schools to let out. With this comes the increase in the number of calls the police dept. receives for "juveniles disturbing?”. Oftentimes officers respond only to find a small group of kids standing around doing nothing. Our first instinct as adults who "witness?” these "juveniles disturbing?” is to think, ?“uh oh there?’s trouble waiting to happen!"

Are these kids getting into trouble or committing crimes? Maybe not or maybe not yet?”. I propose that as adults and parents we try to find an outlet for all their pent-up energy and enthusiasm before it is released in the wrong direction. Here are a few suggestions:

Enroll your children in a sports activity. There are indoor facilities that offer leagues in a variety of things like roller hockey, soccer and archery. Call the Parks and Recreation Dept. or the YMCA for a listing of their summer programs. How about ice-skating lessons or spending a few hours at the batting cages? There?’s also the nearby library for less active children. Call your local hospital, nursing home facility or animal care organization for volunteer opportunities. Maybe hire a neighborhood juvenile to take care of your yard, pool or animals for the summer. What a great way for a young adult to learn responsibility, reliability and dedication while earning a few dollars. Or better yet, have your child assist their local Block Watch group in a clean-up project for an elderly or handicapped neighbor or for a community common area.

The list of possibilities and opportunities is as long as your imagination!

Most importantly this summer, parents and guardians, please be aware of your child?’s whereabouts and the names, phone numbers and addresses of their friends. Ultimately, your children are your responsibility and you can be held financially responsible for any trouble that they get into. Mistakes will be made. We should be receptive to criticism and information relayed to us by others and use these opportunities as a way to teach our youth the difference between right and wrong. Let?’s teach them to accept responsibility for their actions, suffer the consequences and get on with life.

Working together, we can all provide a fun, safe and healthy learning environment for our children this summer!. . . ☺